This week we celebrated our opening school mass. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, staff and families to come together to celebrate the year ahead. Our Year 6 leaders were inducted and presented to our community, they then had the opportunity to introduce our new Kindergarten students to our community.

I would like to offer a prayer for all of our leaders asking for guidance in their roles for the coming year:

Teach me to Listen

to those nearest to me,
my family, my friends, my co-workers.
Help me to be aware that
no matter what words I hear,
the message is
"Accept the person I am. Listen to me."

Teach me to listen, my caring God,
to those far from me--
the whisper of the hopeless.
the plea of the forgotten,
the cry of the anguished.

Teach me to listen, O God my Mother,
to myself.
Help me to be less afraid
to trust the voice inside--
in the deepest part of me

Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit,
for your voice--
in busyness and in boredom,
in certainty and in doubt,
in noise and in silence.

Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen.

This Friday is our swimming carnival.

Students can come dressed in their house colours of green or red.

Please see house colours attached.

Next Tuesday Brodie & Harley are on radio news at 12.50pm 

Tune in each week to hear what is happening.

This Friday we are selling zooper doopers for 50c each

Next Friday the HAVERFIELD family are our cooks

Volunteers are needed!

If you would like to be on home cooking once per term please let the office know

Year 5/6 had lots of fun in science with taped up thumbs for their experiement on "Adaptability".

No cake raffle this Friday

Next Friday the SCHWARZROCK family are on cake raffle 

From the School Counsellor

Supporting Kids at the start of the new school year

Dear Parents/Carers,

With the return to a new school year, schedules are starting to get very busy again. Returning to school can add extra pressure on us as parents/carers, and also our kids. Take this article as permission to look after yourselves! Monitor how your kids are going and if you are observing post-school melt downs happening more than just occasionally, it is time to respond by simplifying the after school routine.

Here’s some tips to help make late afternoons more peaceful when your child is adjusting to the new school year:

Expect the meltdowns – Your child might hold it all together and be on their best behaviour at school and then the minute they get home they go off the rails. This is NORMAL behaviour. At school your child works so hard to follow all the rules and have so many social interactions, it’s tiring and they need to let it out at some point.

Plan for downtime – School days are draining, and your child needs to balance the demands of a new school year with some relaxation and rest. When you notice a pattern of after-school meltdowns, clear their afternoon/evening schedule for the week where possible. Postpone the playdates, skip the supermarket visit after school, and go straight home and let your child unwind.

Have a healthy snack ready – Your child might not eat enough at school. Drinking and eating are social in nature, and children just tend to snack until they are comfortable. Be prepared for their end of school day HANGRY side to come out and be ready with a nutrient dense snack.

Don’t take it personally – You’re probably so excited to see your child/ren at the end of the day to give them a hug and find all about what they got up to at school. Then you pick them up and they are tired and limited in what they want to share, making you feel disappointed or rejected. It’s not about you, give them space, time, rest and food.

Sensory play – Run a bath with lots of bubbles and their favourite bath toys. Or put on some calm music and let them relax with a puzzle, play dough or kinetic sand play. They will love it and it will help them unwind.

Ongoing concerns about back to school anxiety; If your child is showing signs of difficulties with adjustment beyond the first few weeks of school term, such as:

– physical symptoms like stomach aches, headaches or nausea

– trouble sleeping

– changes in appetite;

– changes in behaviour;

-expressing not wanting to go to school

They may be experiencing anxiety. 

If you have concerns about your child experiencing back to school anxiety-remember to make some quiet time together and ask open-ended questions – for example, ‘How are you feeling about starting/going/being back to school?’ This gives your child a chance to share their thoughts, feelings and anything that’s worrying them.

Listen closely and acknowledge your child’s feelings. For example, ‘I can see why you would be worried about starting in a new class. I know that lots of kids feel anxious about making new friends.’

Remember, school is a major part of your child’s life, so try to see things from their point of view and don’t dismiss their worries, even if they seem small or silly to you. You don’t need to have all the answers or be able to fix things. Instead, the most important thing is that your child believes they can overcome their feelings of anxiety and knows that you’re there to help them through it.

For more information on how to support your child through back-to-school anxiety contact your child’s class teacher to discuss a referral to the school counsellor. 

More information can be found on the Emerging Minds website; https://d2p3kdr0nr4o3z.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/2024/01/29163457/8-tips-to-help-your-child-manage-back-to-school-anxiety.pdf 

Article created with thanks to MCCG School Counselling resources and Emerging Minds website.

Lucinda Clay 

Student and Family Counsellor 

Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn

Book Club orders are due by this FRIDAY 14^th February.

Please order the books online via LOOP and select St Mary's School.

We are unable to take cash at school.

Please email Mrs Murray if any of the books ordered are gifts and not given to your child at school.

(elizabeth.murray@cg.catholic.edu.au)

Happy Reading!

Staff are on duty from 8.40am each morning for student drop off.